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Mars and Snickers shrink but prices stay the same.

A public Relations Fail. Or "Why my nine-year-old is more savvy than a confectionery company."

My nine-year-old lad was watching this news story on BBC's Newsround. When the presenter reported that the company's stated motivation was not to make more money but rather to encourage people to eat more healthily, I heard him scoff disparagingly: "Yeah right!"

That's my boy...!

It seems to me that Mars are naïve to think that people will believe this, even were it true. Wouldn't it be more savvy to simply state something like this? -

"We're obligated to meet certain regulatory standards and, at the same time, keeping the great taste of the product is a real priority to us. In order to achieve those aims while containing costs, we had to reduce the size of the chocolate bar a little bit.

And it would be honest, too.

Suddenly there would be nothing for my nine-year-old to be cynical about.

Public Relations Fail.

** Sources **

For the BBC Newsround story, Click here.



For the Telegraph Online story, click here.

The songs "Any Colour" and "The Broadcast" were the first and final songs respectively from the album "Broadcast" by Cutting Crew way back in 1986. The opening track holds so much promise and the final track is beautifully melancholy and cynical.

Here the band perform a live segue with the songs swapped round. It's an interesting twist and the performance is super.



I wish I could find a live performance of "The Broadcast" on its own. It would be awesome to hear how they executed it live.

Or: Richard Feynman and the Beauty of a Flower

On Science. This morning at breakfast my youngest daughter bemoaned the fact that her weekly Science class in school comes round so quickly - i.e. today already. "What's the point of Science? Who invented Science?" she asked. This led to a short conversation in which Science got a little bit of support and justification, but she's not converted. I'm sad that my enthusiasm for Science has not been inherited by my children. They will make wonderful artists and historians, for sure.

Here's Richard Feynman arguing Science's corner for beauty. There are a few reasons why one lifetime is not enough. The fact that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in any philosophy is just one of them.

On Radio 4, Libby Purves presents Midweek, a weekly show which boasts "lively and diverse conversation with weekly guests". In a very recent edition the show featured banker come hip-hop artist Jihan Bowes-Little, who has an interesting mix in his professional life. He came out with one of the best quotes:-




This is Radio 4.